Demons and Mystical Amulets?
by Minako Hozuki
Summary: Don't be so quick to throw away your life. Sasuke, a human, dedicating himself to rid the city of Konoha of all demons existing. Naruto, a demon, dedicating himself to protect Sasuke. Akatsuki, a group of nukekubi, plotting to overthrow the human world
1. Chapter 1 You broke another car!

**Chapter 1: Enter SHINOBI**

Uchiha Sasuke hated demons. Always have, always will. Yup, that's all that I need to know about that bastard. The weird thing is, I, Uzumaki Naruto, practically a demon myself, am his number one best friend.

Uzumaki Naruto looked out at the passing cars and buildings zooming by. He suppressed a contented sigh._ I'm bored._ Finally deciding to break the unbearable silence, he looked at his partner, best friend and part time rival. Uchiha Sasuke was driving one of their specialized automobile at an alarming speed of 120 miles per hour. His eyebrows were furrowed slightly and his dark bangs were framed over his pale face. His mouth was set in a small pout which made him, quite, cute, Naruto mused though he will never admit it.

"Ne, Teme we've been driving for hours. Can we at least stop for some Ramen?" Naruto asked, feeling a little bit hungry, As if on cue, his stomach growled.

Sasuke thrusted his lower lip further forward as he glared at the road. If looks could kill, He could certainly melt the street ahead of them. Naruto smirked satisfyingly. _He's pissed we haven't had a single mission for the passed few days._

"Teme? Sasuke? Sasukeeee?" Naruto whined, his face edging forward.

Sasuke was, at that point, pissed. Not only is Naruto annoying him while he is in a bad mood but his face is so close he could feel his breath against his cheek. His face slowly turning red, he turned his head slowly made eye contact with Naruto's blue orbs and yelled despite him being usually emotionless.

"**I heard you the first time you DOBE!!!"**

Naruto, surprised by his sudden outburst, he pulled back.

**HONK! HONK!**

Naruto gasped and quickly pulled at the steering wheel, barely missing an oncoming truck. They both sighed slightly.

"Mou, Sasuke-teme, you should keep your eyes on the road. What kinda cop are you anyway? Speeding, running red lights, and almost getting us into an accident." Naruto scolded solemnly. Sasuke's glare intensified.

"Hn. It's not like you can drive. Don't compare me to you, usurantonkachi. Besides, we are not cops. We're hunters." Sasuke retorted.

Before Naruto could come up with a good retort, a beeping sound was heard. With out taking his eyes off the road, Sasuke took out his cellphone and brought it to his ear.

"Hai? Moshi moshi?"

"A demon has been spotted." A female voice informed. Naruto, with his advanced hearing, jumped up, excited, respectively hitting his head against the car ceiling. Sasuke snorted at him.

"Hai. Understood." He replied and hung up.

Naruto, still nursing his head decided to ask, "Where?"

"At the old abandoned weapon's warehouse." Sasuke said and turned a corner.

**-At The Old Abandoned Warehouse. 2:35 p.m.-**

A few car were surrounding around an old two storey building. Police officers were standing outside, gun in hand. A few officers have gone inside to investigate and have yet to return.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a speeding car zoomed and crashed into the building's wall, resulting a huge hole and damaged automobile. Incoherent cursing could be heard inside the vehicle the door was kicked opened, ripping it from its hinges. The police officers were shocked as they saw a boy with dark hair, who looked about 16, jumped out followed by a blonde who started deliberately kissing the ground.

"Land!! Sweet, sweet land, I love you!" Naruto exclaimed, overcome by relief.

Sasuke rolled his eyes_. Exaggerating as usual._

"Naruto! Quit fooling around!" He shouted over to the blonde. Naruto looked at the car and gaped.

"You broke another car!! Aw, man, Tsunade-baachan will _not_ like this!" He yelled disbelievingly.

"Tch. It's not my fault the street was so damn small. Now c'mon we have a job to do!" He said.

Naruto merely shrugged. "Fine, but next time, we're getting an SUV!" He retorted as he strode to the slightly confused officers.

"And who, are you?" A man assumed to be the Chief Officer asked. Sasuke flashed a badge at the chief and replied with trained professionalism.

"I'm Uchiha Sasuke and this is my partner, Uzumaki Naruto," He gestured to Naruto, who, in turn, waved enthusiastically. "We will take over this case, sir." He continued.

The chief rubbed his chin thoughtfully, as though in deep thought and realization came to him.

"Are you… the specialized organization of hunters?" He asked.

Naruto gave his signature foxy grin. "You bet!"

And with that they went into the building. A rookie officer went up to the chief.

"Sir, who were they?" He asked.

"They are part of a special organization called the 'SHINOBI'. They specialize in hunting supernatural creatures." He replied. The rookie looked questioningly at him.

"Hunting creatures?"

Sasuke and Naruto carefully made their way inside the building looking from room to room.

Since after the World War II, unseen evils have been lurking in certain regions in the world wreaking havoc. 'SHINOBI' was created to destroy these creatures to ensure peace throughout the world.

"Naruto, sense anything?" Sasuke asked Naruto. Said boy, with his heightened senses, scanned the room.

"Nope not anything. Either this thing is good at concealing his spiritual energy or it's really weak— ." Before he could finish his sentence, he was thrown across the room landing into a heap of boxes. Sasuke immediately leaped into the air. Out the corner of his eye, was a hideous creature flew out of the room. He ran towards the debris and found Naruto slightly bruised.

"Usurantonkachi, are you okay?" He asked, his voice a little bit with concern.

Naruto smiled. "Yeah. Of course I am." Sasuke pulled out his gun, which bullets, were specialized for inflicting immense damage mostly causing the demons to obliterate into nothing.

As they silently made their way up the stairs, Naruto suddenly sensed a chilling presence._ What is this feeling? Are we being watched?_

Once at the second floor, the sight before them made them sick to their stomachs. There were corpses strewn all over the hallways, their bodies devoid of nothing making them look like mummies.

"I guess this thing was hungry. It sucked the life out of these people." Naruto said.

Sasuke carefully walked through the hallways, stepping over the bodies. They checked every room for any sign of the demon. They suddenly heard a sound in one of the rooms and dashed into it. They burst into the room ready for an attack. The room was filled with different sorts of weapons including explosives. Naruto marveled at the sight.

"Wow, look at all these weapons. Aren't they cool?" Suddenly Naruto's eyes widened and lunged for Sasuke. "Sasuke, Look Out!"

Before Sasuke was registering what was happening he felt a blow at his gut then was thrown against a wall. Immediately recovered, he got up and started shooting at the beast. It growled and swung its tail again. This time Sasuke managed to get out of the way. The bullets were barely affecting that thing.

"Aim for the head!!" Naruto yelled.

Getting the hint, he aimed at the demon's forehead and fired. The hit was right on target and the creature roared as the impact sent it flying. The demon thrashed on the floor a bit as it slowly faded away. The danger gone, they both sighed and left the building, feeling out of breath. Luckily, they managed to get out uninjured saved for a few cuts and bruises.

"What level was that thing?" Sasuke asked. Naruto just shrugged.

"I don't know but it was damn strong, if you ask me." Naruto concluded. Suddenly his phone rang. Once he picked up, hearing the voice on the other line, he laughed nervously.

"Baa-chan. Hey… yeah the mission went well…there was an incy-wincy problem though…no we got the thing…could you send someone to get us?"


	2. Chapter 2 Acquaintances

**Chapter 2: Bond**

**Hora, hora!! Second chapter** **is up! First fanfiction, people.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or its characters. Please don't kill me if it sucks. **

**Constructive criticism please. Honto Arigatou. **

Konoha main base or HQ as most people like to call it is located in the middle of the city. It is made up of different buildings. There, all the agents spend their time carrying out many tasks. The atmosphere was always hectic and the hunters were always on the move.

Inside the building, shouts could be heard, though most of the occupants seemed to be unaware. No big deal. Tsunade's probably mad at someone. Or it's the time of the month again. Probably both.

Up on the top floor of the five-storey main building a female voice shouted a string of profanities followed by the sound of shattering glass as a leather chair was thrown out of the building. The agents below squinted at the silhouette before scampering out of the way.

**-Tsunade's office 3:01 p.m.-**

"Those damn brats…" Tsunade muttered, panting, a few strands of light blonde hair hanging over her forehead. She was the head of 'SHINOBI'. 53 years old, she looked well about 20, thoroughly confusing many agents. She just called two of her best agents and she was not happy.

Sakura and Shizune gulped and backed away from the senile woman. You do not mess with her when she's in a pissy mood.

Tsunade rubbed her temples to ease her upcoming migraine. "That was the 15th car this month. I swear those two…" She whirled towards her assistants who were still slightly shaking with fear.

"Sakura! Uchiha and Naruto! Now!!" she ordered firmly. Sakura squeaked a 'hai' and dashed away.

After Sakura picked the two hunters up and gave them a well deserved lecture about taking care of private property, they made their way to Tsunade's office, before Sakura could ask Sasuke out on a date…again. They passed a few fellow hunters and greeted them. Some of them waved, particularly Sasuke's fangirls. When they reached her office, they were greeted with a nervously smiling Shizune and an annoyed and eerily quiet Tsunade.

For a while it was quiet. The calm before a storm.

"Omaetachi!! How many times do I have to cover for you about these things?!" Tsunade yelled.

"Oh, come on, Baa-chan, we did get that demon." Naruto retorted.

Tsunade glared at him. Sasuke couldn't help but sigh._ Kill me now_.

"You two have got to start taking your responsibilities more seriously. Can't you come back from a mission without me yelling at you?" She asked. Neither of them answered. They can tell that there was more as Tsunade hasn't caused them to run out of the office barely dodging a heavy projectile…yet. Said woman looked out of the huge windows behind her, giving off a beautiful view of the west side of the city, her back turned.

"We have got something from Akatsuki." She said.

The news alerted them both and Sasuke visibly stiffened.

"Apparently, they're planning something. Though we don't know exactly what. There have been some sightings and we are trying to figure out their goal." She finally finished and sighed.

"Any other leads?" Sasuke asked.

Tsunade shook her head. She glanced at Sasuke who was intently staring at the ground, deep in thought.

"I'm not going to give you any missions until we get more clues." She said skeptically.

Sasuke merely nodded and exited the room. Naruto could tell he was upset. She smiled awkwardly at Tsunade.

"Well, I'll just be going then. And I swear, we'll _try_ not to wreck the next car." He promised, emphasizing the 'try'.

Tsunade snapped, her patience deteriorated. "You said that the last time! You better not destroy this car or so help me…" She yelled raising her fist.

Before she could release her full wrath, he hightailed out of there and ran after Sasuke.

Sasuke was out in the base's courtyard and the whole female population were mooning over him. He tried to suppress a groan.

He kept walking hoping to get to his intended destination quickly, "Sasuke-kun!!" He winced at the high pitched voice calling to him and turned only to see Sakura running towards him her pink hair swaying. As she reached her hands out, Sasuke braced himself as she trapped him in a bone crushing hug. While he gasped for air, Sakura nuzzled his chest loving his hard abs.

"Ne,ne Sasuke-kun can we go on a date sometime. Of course you would be tired after working non-stop." She cooed. Sasuke resist the urge to gag.

"Let go." He rasped out. Sakura immediately relased him. As Sasuke panted, Naruto came running over. Seeing him, Sakura glared at her male rival. No matter how many times she or anyone tried to get the Uchiha's attention, his, is always towards the blonde. Not only that, coincidentally, they always seemed to be around each other, every time, as though they were protecting each other from something. Once, she asked Tsunade about their partnership and her only answer was 'they need each other'. Since then, she felt that Naruto and Sasuke's relationship was threatening her own with Sasuke.

Naruto, noticing, her glare smiled awkwardly, "Ano sa, Sakura-chan, what brings you here?" He asked. Sakura glared harder and huffed.

"Iie, I was just talking to Sasuke-kun. What are _you _doing here?" She replied, annoyed.

**Shannarou!! It's that Naruto! How come every time I try to talk to Sasuke-kun HE interrupts?!**

Naruto shifted his foot, suddenly finding the ground fascinating. "Nothing. I,uh, just wanted to ask Sasuke to go out for some ramen. Sakura-chan, do you wanna come?" He asked, his voice filled with hope.

"Tch. You go ahead. I need to do something." Sasuke waved them off and left a confused Naruto.

Seeing her crush leaving, she turned to leave as well.

"Sakura-chan, um, you know," Before Naruto could finished his sentence, Sakura stomped her foot and scowled at him, angered that her plans to ask him on a date were once again foiled.

"Naruto, you're annoying. Whatever you want to ask me, the answer is no." And with that, she turned her heels and strode away.

Giving up, he went to ask the only next person he could ever ask out to eat; Chouji.

**-Weapon's facility 6:00p.m.-**

After entering the pass code, Sasuke entered a room filled with weapons. Tracers, guns, protecting clothing, were all created in this room by Hatake Kakashi. Said person stood from his crouching position, and raised is hand.

"Yo."

Naruto slurped the noodles as he ate his ramen. He looked at his friends, Shikamaru and Chouji.

"Naruto, when am I gonna see you eat something other than ramen?" Shikamaru asked. Naruto glared as he continued eating his meal.

"Hey, don't diss ramen. It is the most delicious food in the world. You're starting to sound like Sasuke." He retorted.

Chouji after finishing a bowl and ordering six more, he turned to Naruto.

"Speaking of whom, is something wrong with him?"

"There's always something wrong with him." Naruto remarked. "He's just in a bad mood, like always." He absentmindedly played with the pork in his soup._ I hope he's alright._

Sasuke held the katana in his hand. It had a distinctive appearance- a curved, slender onr edge blade with a long grip. Kakashi smiled at him.

"I call it Susanoo. Pretty stereotypical if you ask me." Kakashi remarked. With a swift movement, Sasuke struck a nearby chair, effectively cutting it in two. He smirked.

"Not only is it sharper, it has a special feature. Try focusing your spiritual energy on it." Kakashi gestured to the blade.

Sasuke closed his eyes and concentrated. Every human had physical energy and spiritual energy. His mother used to say that to become truly strong, you have to be able to balance both.

The sword emitted a hissing sound and the blade flowed with electricity.

"It can magnify your element. In your case, it's lightning." He chuckled. "I only made one for you, you know." He added.

"It would really help to beat Itachi." He continued after not getting any response from Sasuke._ He must be so happy to get his new sword._

"Do you ever stop talking?" He finally said.

"Yes I do!!" Kakashi shouted uncharacteristically, mildly disappointed at his subordinate's lack of amusement. "…when I'm reading my Icha, Icha Paradise." He muttered under his breath.

**-Cafeteria 7:oop.m.-**

"Hey! Shiruku, anything interesting happening lately?" A girl asked her friend from the table across the trio.

"Oh, nothing much, but I heard that they found a lead on the Akatsuki." She replied. "People have been reported missing lately and they think that Akatsuki has something to do with it."

Naruto, with his heightened senses, perked up at the statement._ Why didn't Baa-chan tell us about that?_

The first girl sighed. "I wish we could take over that case, it seems so interesting. But alas, we're just the investigators.

"Yeah, suck for us, huh?"

Naruto turned to Shikamaru and Chouji who were sharing a bag of potato chips.

"Do you know anything about people disappearing?" He asked suspiciously. Shikamaru was the head of the investigating department and if he knows anything he would tell Chouji.

They both looked hesitantly at each other.

"Uh… what do you mean?" Chouji asked lamely.

Naruto didn't buy it. Shikamaru sighed and shook at his head.

"We found out that people have been reported disappearing. Tsunade-sama probably didn't tell you because she didn't wanna have high hopes."

"Wait, how do you know it's Akatsuki doing all this and I don't get it." Naruto said, his eyebrow furrowed with confusion.

"Sorry we're not breaking orders." Shikamaru said quickly and they both walked away before Naruto questioned further. Naruto, never fond of being kept in the dark, squinted his eyes and crossed his arms.

**-Somewhere in Konoha 7:15p.m.-**

"How many more?" A dark figure asked. Before him were ten silhouettes.

"Two more. The Ichibi and the Kyuubi." A dark voice answered. One of the silhouettes laughed.

"They both have keepers right? That is gonna be hard to handle."

"The Kyuubi's is the boy named Uchiha Sasuke right?"

"Ha, ha!! This will be interesting! Un!"

"Yes, yes. He is Uchiha-san's otouto right…"The dark figure's lips curled in a devious smirk. "…Uchiha Itachi?"

**Review Please! And give me some ideas will ya?**


	3. Chapter 3 Sasuke found out Fuck

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Chapter 3: Akatsuki

**Hi, chapter Three right here. On the second chapter if anyone was confused at the last chapter I meant the kyuubi's keeper. What is a keeper? Explain later. I'll try to make the chapters slightly better. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or its characters.**

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**-Somewhere in Konoha 7:30p.m.-**

Kenidori shopping district was located in the north side of Konoha. It was practically abandoned so the Akatsuki, a pack of nukekubi decided to make it their quarters.

Hidan pounded his head in annoyance at a nearby wall. He was bored. Insanely, mother-fucking bored. He glanced at Kakuzu who was typing something in his laptop. He groaned and continued pounding his head. The other Akatsuki members were doing their personal business- and not in that way- while some were looking strangely at Hidan. Deidara, a blue-eyed blonde, who was also bored, finally stood up and punched Hidan upside the head.

"OW!! What the fuck was that for??!!" Hidan screeched grabbing Deidara's collar. Deidara shrugged his shoulders in response.

"Hey, I had nothing else to do. Besides, how could that hurt when you were hitting yourself like that, un?"

"Well I don't care!! I am fucking bored!! When are we gonna catch those Jinchuuriki anyway?!!"

Sasori, the puppetmaster looked up from maintaining one of his puppets. "Will you quit complaining, Hidan? When the time is right, that's what Madara said". (A/N: I'm making Tobi and Madara two different people. Hope you don't mind.)

Hidan leered as he plopped down on the couch next to Kakuzu. "Whatever. Hey, who's going after the two, anyway?" He asked.

"I think Itachi should go after the Kyuubi." Tobi suggested enthusiastically. Said person didn't say anything but he was compelled to listen to their conversation.

"Wait why?"

"Well… I just thought that since the Kyuubi's keeper is Sasuke, it just seemed appropriate." Tobi replied.

"That doesn't prove anything." Hidan retorted.

"Dude, please you're just saying that because you want to catch him yourself, un." Deidara snorted.

"Damn straight I do. What, you don't?"

"Uh, yeah I do! You want to too right, danna?" He asked and nudged the redhead next to him.

"No thanks, I'd rather take the one-tailed." Sasori replied, not sounding the least interested.

"Dream killer!!" Deidara chided and stood up. "Well, I'm starving. Anyone wanna join me for a snack?"

"Ooh, me me!!" Tobi said, and with that he left with the blonde.

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**-Konoha HQ Same time-**

"Ugh!! I can't stand it!!!" Sakura cried as she threw a pillow at her bedroom door. Ino, who was just entering ducked at the oncoming pillow.

"Really, Sakura, what has this pillow done to you?" She asked as she picked up the pillow.

"I can't help it! I am so angry!!" She started, ready to pull her pink hair out. She instead resorted to punch the living daylights of her couch. Ino sighed at her friend's behaviour.

"Everytime I ask Sasuke on a date! Everytime!! Naruto is always there to ruin everything!" She continued punching the unfortunate couch. Ino walked up to her and caught her hand. Sakura batted her hand away, her eyes glistening with tears.

"Sakura, in case you haven't notice, this crush is just getting out of hand. I mean I got over him ages ago." Ino smiled.

"Well, that just gives me a better chance to hook up with him!!" She screamed. Ino's face suddenly turned serious.

"Whatever you say, Sakura. But that's not why I'm here." She took out and tossed it to Sakura. When she looked at the contents, her eyes widened with horror. She was holding multiple pictures of people lying lifeless on the floor. She focused on one particular picture. It was a photograph of a woman. Her mouth was wide open and her eyes were rolled skyward.

"She was sucked dry. Not a drop of blood in her." Ino said grimly.

_A nukekubi._ "It can't be…" Sakura whispered.

"Akatsuki. They're here, in Konoha." Sakura gripped the picture tightly.

"When was this taken?"

"A few days ago." She grabbed the photos. "But that's not all. A few people have gone missing from different cities. And they have one thing in common. They're all Jinchuuriki."

Sakura stayed silent, letting Ino's explanation sink in. Jinchuuriki are demons who are able to stay in the form of humans. Reading about them at the Konoha library, Sakura assumed their existence was irrelevant. To her, they are just demons trying to imitate a human being.

"What would the Akatsuki want with the Jinchuuriki?" She finally asked.

"Not sure, but whatever you do, don't tell Sasuke and Naruto." Ino warned, pointing the photos in her direction.

"Why?"

"I don't know, just don't." She waved dismissively and left the room before Sakura could question further.

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"So I understand what Jinchuuriki is and all that shit, but what's a keeper?" Hidan asked after Deidara and Tobi went out.

"What, you don't now?" Kakuzu said with a bored tone. Hidan glared at the quip.

"Well I'm not surprised, you being the second newest member." Kisame, said smugly.

Itachi straightened his slumped posture on the couch and leaned back. "Are you familiar with the act of soul binding?" He asked.

Hidan raised his eyebrow in confusion. "I don't think so."

"It is when a mortal binds his soul with a Jinchuuriki. With the help of a key, the human could boost or maintain the Jinchuuriki's powers." Itachi said. The members present stared at him for a long moment.

"Why the fuck would a human make that kind of deal with a demon?" Hidan guffawed, both appalled and amused at the stupidity of human beings, according to him anyway.

"Basically, it's just to help the Jinchuuriki control its powers. But it does come with a price. When you bind a soul with a demon, your life will be half of a normal human's life span. And everytime a demon uses it full powers, the human's life force will deplete even further." Itachi continued. Just then Hidan brst out loud, laughing.

"For an Uchiha, your little brother sure is dumb, Itachi." Hidan sighed. For a while Itachi didn't say anything. Hidan pushed it, and they all knew. When the brunette turned he was smiling.

"No. He did it because of me." He said.

Hidan's face contorted in a confused pout. But instead of asking what he means, he instead asked, "So, what does this key looked like?"

Kisame shook his head, "Hell if I know. I haven't seen a biding in ages."

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**-Konoha streets 8:00p.m.-**

Sitting on a bench in the local park, Sasuke enjoyed the city lights. Ever since he was a child he wanted to live in the city. His family used to live in the Uchiha estate in the more farther side of town. It was quiet and tranquil there. Here, it was noisy and chaotic, just the way he liked it. As he listened to the cars and the shouts of annoyed pedestrians, he heard a scream.

A man was unknowingly being followed. He was late for dinner so he decided to take a shortcut. That was when he sensed a presence behind him. He turned around him only to find nothing.

"Boo."

The man screamed at the voice, shocked. There was no one there but the voices were strangely close.

"Ne, Deidara-senpai, why do you always target men? Could it be…"

"Shut up Tobi I don't swing that way!!"

Suddenly before him were two men in long cloaks. They don't look older than 19. They walked closer to him, one of them looking hungrily at him. It suddenly hit him; he was being mugged, by two teenagers.

"Who are you? And what do you want?!" He demanded trying to sound braver than he was.

"Us? It doesn't matter since you're going to die anyway. And I am hungry. Un" His voice was hard, like he was mocking him. He began to chuckle mischievously as he stepped closer to him. He began to freak.

"Wait. Please don't hurt me." He pleaded. He ignored him and opened his mouth slightly, barring sharp fangs. He gasped at the sight.

Before Deidara could charge at him, he felt strong arms shoving him away._ What the hell?!_ He looked at a dark haired boy with onyx eyes glaring at him. His arms were spread in front of him, protecting the man.

"Get out of here!" Sasuke ordered the man. He didn't have to tell him twice, as he bolted out of there. Deidara sighed at his escaped meal.

Tobi looked closely at Sasuke. Why does he look familiar?

"Hey what are you doing stealing my snack like that you asshole?!" Deidara yelled.

"Fuck off, nukekubi." The blonde's eyes widened a bit.

"Senpai, he knows what we are. And he looks familiar." Tobi remarked. After a moment, Deidara realized who he is and laughed loudly.

"No way! You're Uchiha Sasuke!! Somehow I thought you'd be shorter, un." Deidara said, his eyes filled with mirth.

Sasuke froze._ How did they now who I am?_ His face slowly contorted with rage. "Akatsuki!"

Deidara smirked._ It is that brat._ He reached into his pouch and brought out a handful of clay. The mouths on his hands started to mould the clay.

"Where's Itachi?" Sasuke sneered, his voice full of venom.

"Oh, you don't have to worry about him, he's fine. You might wanna close your eyes for this." He held two spider shaped bombs and threw them in the air. The bombs exploded, giving a momentarily blinding the brunette. He shielded his eyes before he felt a strong wind whirred around him. When his eyesight regained, they disappeared. The minutes that went by came back to him and his fists clenched, his nails digging into his palms. Anger coursed through him as a surge of electricity caused a nearby tree to burst into flames.

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-Konoha Library 10:00p.m.-

Sakura leaned her head as she flipped through the pages of another one of the books she was reading. She felt like she has been sitting there for months rather than a few hours. _What am I doing here?_ She has read all the books of the stack in front of her but it still didn't help her._ Think, Haruno. What is Akatsuki's motive? If they are behind this._ She mused to herself. She decided to widen her search. She was researching on nukekubi books. What if she looked up Jinchuuriki? She jumped up the stairs, three steps at a time. She soon arrived at the_ 'demons'_ section and started scanning the shelves. She picked three or four books and started reading.

There was this one particular book that interested her. The cover was decorated in designs she has never seen before. Carefully, she started reading. The contents told tales of the origins of demons and how they interacted with humans. The book was full of spells and rituals and that intrigued her.

She felt a presence before she heard footsteps. She instantly looked up to see Naruto. She instantly snapped the cover shut.

"Hey, Sakura-chan. Thought I would find you here. Hey do you anything about the Akatsuki case? I tried asking people but they wouldn't tell me a single thing." He rolled his eyes as he took a seat beside her.

'_Don't tell Sasuke and Naruto about this.'_ Ino's words rang in her head.

"Sorry I don't know anything." She lied. Naruto glanced at the book she was reading and glared suspiciously. _Shit, I always have been a bad liar._

"May I…?"

"Uh…sure." She opened the book and scooted her chair to give him some room.

"It's a book about Jinchuuriki? What are you doing reading this?" He asked.

"Hey, is it so wrong to read a book?" She said with fake hurt. Naruto wasn't a book type. He was getting at something. _I have to keep an eye on him._

For a half an hour, they read in silence. Sakura was stunned that the blonde could stand that long not talking. They were so absorbed in the book, not paying attention to their surroundings. Suddenly, she came across a spell, halfway. She looked closer at it, not comprehending the lines.

'_And with the celestial moon, the nine remaining Jinchuuriki will become one and ten' _

The pinkette was genuinely confused. What is that supposed to mean? She heard rasped breaths and turned to see Naruto crouching, clutching his chest. Quickly, she knelt down.

"Naruto are you alright? Naruto?" She frantically asked. She looked around calling for help. Naruto didn't hear anything. The only sound was the beating of his heart drumming in his ears. Memories came flooding back as he recalled destruction, anger, hatred, despair. The screams of horror echoed in his mind as he gasped for air.

Sakura tried to soothe him as she patted his back. After a few minutes, his breathing became less ragged. Something gleaming caught her eye. She stared, transfixed at the necklace around the blonde's neck. The emerald jewel in the center was glowing! What in the world is going on?

* * *

**There you go, the third chapter I would write more but I'm too tired. O yeah here are some tips in case you misunderstand.**

**A nukekubi is a Japanese vampire. My friend no-idea-for-a-name thought of it. Though I think I changed some of the facts. Oh well.**

**  
This fanfic is AU btw. My first time writing a fanfic.**

**I think I'm adding Gaara next chapter. Maybe. **


	4. Chapter 4 The past hurts

**Chapter 4: Bonds**

_Review: She stared transfixed at the necklace around the blonde's neck. The jewel in the center was glowing._

_What in the world is going on?_

* * *

People glanced at Sasuke confusedly as he walked down the carpeted hallways of Konoha base. He was so fucking mad. For a few reasons. One, Tsunade lied to him. Him!! The possibly greatest hunter ever in the whole agency. He arrived at Tsunade's office. The door swung opened and the occupants jumped at the noise. By the look on his face, a thought came to her mind,_ he knows._

"Do I even have to ask?" His tone was so cold he could probably freeze the whole room. Shikamaru who was standing in front of her desk turned to her,

"Told you he would find out." He said bored. Beside him, Shizune scratched the back of her neck.

_Huh… he was right._ Tsunade sighed dejectedly. "Listen Uchiha. Believe it or not, we had a reasonable explanation why we didn't tell you about this. Now, tell me how exactly did you find out?" She asked. Sasuke fumed. If she weren't my boss I would have killed her and tear apart her limbs by now.

"I saw them in the park, does that answer your question?" Sasuke snapped. "Now answer mine. Why would Akatsuki be in Konoha?"

"You saw them at the park. That is so stupid!" She exclaimed, forcing a guffaw.

"Don't change the subject! Now answer the question!!" Sasuke spat, his patience thinning by the second.

Everybody stayed silent. It was Shikamaru who answered. "They're after Naruto."

That caught Sasuke off guard. "What?" He said warily.

"Jinchuuriki have been kidnapped recently from all over the globe. You might wanna know there are only nine existing since, the second world war. Only two are left uncaptured. One of them is Naruto, the kyuubi." Tsunade said.

"I know what he is."

"I assume you do since you are his keeper." She stated matter-of-factly.

"Does he know?" He asked quietly.

"Of course not." She replied indignantly.

"Why the fuck not?!" He yelled.

"What is this, twenty questions? Because, if we tell him, he'll tell you, then you will go all emo and try to stop him himself, and please tell me that's not your plan."

Sasuke ignored the question and turned to leave. "Where is Naruto?"

"In the infirmary." Shikamaru's bored voce came behind him. _Wait hold up, what?!_ His obsidian eyes fully snapped open. One thought registered in his mind. _Oh. Fucking. Joy._

* * *

**-Sasuke's POV.-**

This is not my lucky day. Naruto's in the infirmary. Why? Because he passed out? No doubt his demon energy. The idiot. Does he_ want_ to kill me? I don't even know why I made that deal in the first place. I hate it. I hate it all. I hate my brother for hurting Naruto that time. I hate Naruto for not stopping me. I hate myself for saving him. Wow, that sounded selfish Sasuke. Okay, I did not regret saving my best friend's life, that much is certain. If only self sacrifice isn't such a bummer. We were like, what, nine? Trust me the details are unclear though one thing is. I had no idea I would make friends with a demon.

* * *

_**-Flashback-**_

_He woke up in a cold sweat, his sheets tangled up around his legs. 'Another nightmare.' He went to his bathroom to clean his face. He stared blankly at the mirror. His black eyes betrayed his restlessness reflected through the glass. He sighed and went to put on his coat._

_Seven-year-old Uchiha Sasuke was having bad dreams. And once he woke up sweating in the middle of the night, he will take a walk, mostly outside the Uchiha estate since he didn't want to be seen by the neighbors._

_The moon was full tonight and it illuminated some light on his tracks so he would at least know where he was going so he didn't bring his flashlight. He shoved his hands in his pocket as he walked into a forest. A gust of wind shook the trees and the leaves fell to the floor like snow. Sasuke paid no heed as he continued walking._

'_What was that dream again?' He thought depressingly. He sighed. He's been sighing a lot lately. In his dreams, there was a figure. He was quite short, maybe shorter than him. In some dreams, the figure was crying. In others, he was wreaking havoc and screaming in agony. Now, he wanted to know what it means and who the figure was. Was it him? No, the figure in his dream had blue eyes. But in an instant they would turn red. They showed anger and sadness. Maybe it was a monster invading his dreams. He was snapped out of his reverie when he heard a snap. What was that?_

_He whirled around towards a bush. With hesitation, he leaned closer. A pair of red stared at him. Red? Is it the monster. Following his instinct, he ran._

_Step. Step. Pant. Step. Step. Gasp. Run away. Run away._

_The wind stopped blowing. He halted as he saw red in front of him. Slowly, the red turned to blue. _

_They're the only two people there. The mysterious silhouette came out of the shadows. _

_It was a boy. Sasuke examined him closely bottom to top. He was wearing blue sandals, khaki shorts, a white shirt and around his neck was a necklace with an emerald jewel resting on his chest. He had blonde hair and tanned skin. There were three whisker-like marks on both sides of his cheeks. They made eye contact._

_Blue and black met._

_It was silent now. The sliver light from the moon illuminated them both, now has clear view of them both. _

"_Why were you running?" A husky voice asked._

_Sasuke didn't answer. He didn't seem like a monster. His height and eyes confirmed that he was the one in his dreams. But why?_

_The boy took a deep breath and asked again._

_Sasuke replied this time. "I don't know."_

_The boy smiled sadly. "It's okay. Many people are scared of me."_

_Sasuke seemed confused and tension builds. He wanted to ask but he was afraid to hurt the boy's feelings. "Who are you? And why would people be scared of you?"_

_Blue eyes burned. "Because I'm a demon. At least that's what everybody says. Humans fear me for that."_

_Sasuke gulped. A demon? Something tells him he wasn't lying. _

_Suddenly the boy went rigid and fell to his knees. His held out his hands on the floor for support and coughed. Without thinking Sasuke rushed to his side. Upon closer inspection, he saw that the boy was covered with cuts and bruises. A few wounds were deep, and blood was seeping his shirt._

"_You're hurt."_

_The boy shook his head and shakily sat up. He gave Sasuke a painful smile. _

"_No I'm fine. I usually heal fast."_

_Sasuke furrowed his eyebrows. "How did you get all these wounds?" he asked._

_The boy flinched and quickly turned away. Sasuke regretted asking. He took out a napkin which he had in his pocket and gently dabbed his wounds. _

"_Sorry I asked. Um…you didn't say your name." he said._

_The boy grinned ear to ear. "Uzumaki Naruto!! You?"_

"_Uchiha Sasuke."_

"_Nice to meetcha Sasuke! What are you doing in a place like this?"_

_Sasuke blinked. "Just taking a walk. What are you doing here? Don't you have somewhere to go or something?"_

"_I don't have anywhere to go. Besides I was kinda running away." He said with a charming smile. Sasuke's heart throbbed. He was… cute. He tried to hide the pint tint on his cheeks. Naruto stood up._

"_Hey, are you okay to just stand up?" Sasuke asked._

"_Sure I am." He looked down and pulled Sasuke to his feet. "Well, see you Sasuke. It's nice getting to talk to someone. We'll meet again right?" He asked, his eyes gleaming with hope. Sasuke couldn't help but feel happy at his enthusiasm. He's like a bundle of energy waiting to explode every five seconds._

"_Sure. We'll meet here again." He promised. They waved each other goodbye and went separate ways. Sasuke felt like he wanted to burst with joy when he walked back home._

_From then on, when given the chance, he will go see his new friend. His family was getting curious of his whereabouts because he was going missing at the most random times. His mother asked about it at dinner one day._

"_Sasuke, dear, you've been going off somewhere for the last few days. Is everything alright?" _

_Sasuke stopped eating his onigiri. "Um… well, I just went to play with a friend." It wasn't entirely a lie. He didn't want to tell his parents about Naruto. They wouldn't believe him. If they did it would be much worse. They might call those people who catch demons and take him away forever. _

_His brother, Itachi, smirked amusingly. "Otouto? A friend? Is it a girlfriend?"_

_Sasuke took in a breath and glared at him making his cheeks turn red. "No it's not! You meanie!!" Mikoto Uchiha giggled at his sons' antics. They were just so cute._

"_So, Sasuke, are you going to invite your friend over for dinner, sometime?" she smiled at him. Sasuke flinched._

"_Maybe. I'll think about it." He mumbled._

"_Great then. Anyone like to help me clean up?" She clapped her hands. Everybody groaned._

_Naruto bit into his onigiri. He chewed contently. "Man, Sasuke your mom makes the best onigiri." He exclaimed. Sasuke smiled and took a bite out of his own. He looked at Naruto's necklace. There was something weird about it. It had a special glint about it._

"_What's that thing around your neck?" He wondered if it was a stupid question._

_Naruto touched the jewel. "It's something all we demons have. It's called an Amulet of Life. The Council of The Land of Fire entrusted it to my dad when I was born. It allows me to make some sort of contract with a human. It's supposed to help me, but my dad says it might hurt someone close to me in the future. Like I didn't do that already." He stopped abruptly. Sasuke didn't seem to notice._

"_Your dad?"_

"_Yeah, he was…" He trailed off. He sighed. Sasuke remembered about his mom's invitation._

"_Hey, you want to come over to my house?" He asked._

"_What, why?" _

_Sasuke shrugged. "My parents want to see you. You could stay for dinner."_

"_Awesome! I've never been to a friend's house before. Particularly because you're the first." Naruto stopped himself from babbling and wrapped his arms around Sasuke. The dark-haired boy was perplexed. Butterflies lurched in his stomach. He was actually happy Naruto was coming over. He could show him his family's antiques, his father's sword and they could play together in the courtyard._

_The two boys pulled at the Uchiha estate's gate. They both could feel something was wrong. All the lights are off. They ran across the courtyard through the sakura blossom trees. Sasuke pulled open the door. No one seemed to be home._

"_Tadaima!!" Sasuke called. Still no one answered. 'I wonder where everyone is.' He thought. They crept forward to investigate the house, trying not to break the silence, for no apparent reason._

"_Hello?" He tried calling again, in a louder voice. As they walked through the hallways, Naruto suddenly stopped. Sasuke looked at him._

"_What's wrong?" He asked._

"_I felt something. Something strange." He replied. He looked disturbed._

"_No way…" A sudden thought burst into Sasuke's mind and he ran. He jumped into every room hoping to find someone._

"_Mom?! Dad?! Nii-san!!"_

_The dazed boy ran forward, checking every room, calling out the name of his family. But in all of the rooms, it was the same result; empty. Finally he came to the final room—the main living room located at the back of the house. He threw open the doors._

"_Mom! Dad!" He bit back a scream. He had found them. His mother laid on the floor while his father was lying right on top of her. He fell to his knees. Behind them, a figure stepped forward. It was Itachi. His hands were dripping with something red. Blood._

"_Nii-san, what happened?" He called. His brother merely stared at him. His emotionless red eyes bored into his._

"_Humans don't deserve to live, otouto." He said. The statement cut through Sasuke's heart. He backed away. Suddenly, something rushed in beside him. _

_Itachi cocked his eyebrow. "My, my. Who's this otouto? He has quite an amount of spiritual energy." He commented._

"_What's it to ya? What kind of brother are you? You killed your own family and you don't even seem the least bit guilty." Naruto spat. _

"_You're just a brat. You don't understand." Itachi brought his hand up to his mouth and licked it barring a pair of fangs. Sasuke felt like gagging. H wasn't prepared for what happened next. In one slick movement, he pulled out a sword from the sheath on his back in one hand and fired a fire bolt at them. Sasuke couldn't move. It was like his feet was frozen into the floor. Suddenly he felt an intense aura. Naruto leaped in front of him and the fire bolt was deflected. Sasuke was astonished to say the least._

_Meanwhile Naruto was in excruciating pain. He curled over and brought his hand around his burning lungs. He panted, trying to breathe. 'He's still hurt.' Sasuke thought._

_Itachi chuckled and pointed the sword at the blonde. In a second, his body was covered in cuts. Sasuke's eyes widen in shock and fear. 'How did he…' it was like he slashed him without moving his sword. Naruto dropped onto the cold hard floor. A wave of anger washed over the brunette instantaneously. He glared at his brother, and this time, he meant it. But Itachi didn't seem fazed._

"_If you want to kill me, hate me; despise me. And live your petty pathetic life." He smirked with resentment. Seeing that smirk, Sasuke could feel his breathing increase. And then, before his eyes, Itachi slowly disappeared—not before Sasuke saw another man beside him. He looked oddly familiar._

_Naruto jolted him out of his thoughts. He was badly bleeding and his eyes didn't had that fiery blueness anymore. Sasuke could feel tears springing into his eyes. 'I couldn't do anything.' Was his only thought again and again._

"_I can't hurt anyone anymore. That's a relief." He said in a mere breath. His body was going numb._

"_I'm not letting you die!" Sasuke yelled desperately._

"_My wounds aren't healing." _

"_There has to be some other way!" He exclaimed. Then his eyes rested on the amulet. It was still sparkling. 'It allows me to make some sort of contract with a human. It's supposed to help me but my dad says it might hurt someone important to me.' He held onto the jewel. Naruto warily looked at him._

"_What are you doing?" He asked in a weak voice._

"_This is supposed to help you right?" he asked urgently. 'What if I could give him a part of my life?' Naruto seemed to know what he was thinking._

"_Stop it. Don't be…so quick to throw away your life." Sasuke didn't hear him He was determined to save his friend. And there was another thing. Iachi didn't seem like himself. Maybe there was another side to this story. It might be false hope, but he was somewhat sure that he could save his brother. And he was not doing that without Naruto._

_The amulet gave off a green light. Before he could register what is happening, Naruto's wounds were already healing. Strangely, Sasuke didn't feel anything. Well, maybe he was feeling something just not what binding your soul feels like. Suddenly, he was seeing two. His vision was fading. The next thing he knew, he was slipping into uncinciousness._

_**-End flashback-**_

* * *

No matter how much I went through, I didn't forget what happened. It was a month after that incident when the hunters found us. I don't remember where we were. Again the details are unclear. The amulet that belongs to Naruto was a reminder that I will avenge my clan and save my brother. No matter what. I came to my destination. The infirmary. The idiot's probably awake by now. My hand clenched around the door knob. I'm not that defenseless kid I was back then. This time I'm the one to protect the people important to me.

* * *

**Wow, does Sasuke seem OOC for you? Probably. I didn't mean to do that.** **Okay I didn't put Gaara in this chapter. Maybe I will next time. Oh yeah, I don't own Naruto and its characters.**


	5. Chapter 5

Naruto POV.

I'm standing in darkness. There is darkness around me. It's like I'm dead. Though I'm not. I'm just asleep. I'm ninety-nine percent sure about that. I feel my chest going up and down as my even breaths come in a steady rhythm. My heart is beating and I try to relax while counting the beats, just to past the time.

Ba-bump. Ba-bump. Ba-bump. Ba-bump.

A few hours ago, I was with Sakura in the library. I got nothing else better to do. I don't usually spend my time in the library and read books (except if I'm with Sasuke who is always in there), but I have had this little crush on Sakura since the first time I laid eyes on her. But for some reason, she has a disturbing disliking to me. If I weren't a demon, I would have whimpered in fear receiving all those antagonistic glares at me. Not that I'm not used to receiving glares but those were random villagers who I would love to rip their flesh off—Okay, don't need to think about all that. Nonetheless she is pretty_ scary. _

I strolled into the library to maybe find Sasuke. He was supposed to be training but he wasn't at the usual training grounds, nor was he at the weapons facility. So I thought he was at the library. That was when I saw Sakura. She was reading a book, I recall. It had no title and it had an all too familiar symbol on the cover. I became suspicious immediately. Slowly, as to not startle her, I walked over in hushed footsteps. Her faced was sort of scrunched up in concentration. She noticed my presence and snapped the book shut. Okay, now I know she is hiding something. My expression was relaxed, hiding my suspicion as I greeted her.

"Hey, Sakura. Knew I would find you here. Do you know anything about the Akatsuki case? I tried asking people but they won't tell me a thing." I asked. I rolled my eyes for emphasize. She looked at me carefully, I shrugged inwardly and sat next to her.

"I don't know anything." She replied nonchalantly. I resist the urge to roll my eyes. It's so obvious she's lying. If I notice her left eye, it kind of twitches when she lies. I wonder if she notices that—probably not. I instead glared suspiciously.

She began to grow uneasy.

"May I…?"

"Huh? Oh, sure." She scooted her chair and I grinned sheepishly. We started to read.

It was a bit overwhelming; the stories of the Jinchuuriki. The one related to my kind were a bit exaggerated in my opinion. The horned fox demon, its abilities of destroying mountains and villages using its tail is true at some point. Another one was a _kitsune_ that preys exclusively on children. Some are able to shapeshift, some are able to manipulate living beings…

I was so absorbed in my reading that time escaped me. Then, Sakura turned the page.

At first, I wasn't able to grasp the words that were on the paper. It was like something was being shoved into my head and it felt like it was about to explode. An insane ringing was echoing in my head. I wondered if this is what it felt like to get your head torn in half and poured with acid. To put it without the drama, I just heard a voice. It was a menacing throaty snarl, animal like. I couldn't see anything, just blurry colors. I tried squinting but it didn't help. I would have been able to concentrate if that ringing would just **stop.** Other than that ringing, the snarling, luckily, stopped but it didn't ease my throbbing ears. A new sound resided. It wasn't _a _voice, but actually,_ two_ voices. One was deep and grotesque, more like a growl, while the other was soprano and feminine. I couldn't make out the words though—you can't really do that when you feel like someone is banging your head against a door and there is someone ringing a giant bell in your ear. I'm not sure if I can do anything about it. I don't know what the source of that sound is. Nor do I care, I just want it to _stop._

In a split second, I was engulfed by darkness. It was so sudden. I couldn't feel anything; my body, my legs, my arms, my eyes, my ears (on the bright side I couldn't hear that annoying ringing anymore). For what felt like hours, I just let the blackness cloud my thoughts. After a while I was getting a bit uncomfortable. I needed to see and hear so I can figure out what just happened. I tried opening my eyes but I couldn't. It's like the darkness was weighing down on me and I couldn't move. Every time I tried pushing it away, it becomes heavier. Am I dead? No, I'm asleep, I reminded myself. My senses were starting to come back. I could feel the beat of my thudding heart. Weird; the fact that I _do _have a heart. Maybe because somewhere along the way in my life I started to have sense, and feelings.

The reality shook me, that actually, this wasn't my first life. I have had past lives. So when I die, the demon inside of me would just emerge in another person. Great. Just like all the other Jinchuuriki in this world. Maybe the voices were memories, I realized. Somehow, I didn't think those were what flashbacks are like. I relaxed into my sleep and started counting my heartbeats.

One thousand, four hundred and fifty-three counts later, my other senses were starting to come back. My hearing was doing fine. I couldn't do much about my eyesight. I couldn't open my eyes, they were too heavy. I can sense spiritual energy emitting from someone beside my bed. Not dangerous. It's probably Sakura. No doubt I passed out again. I've been doing that lately. My demon energy has been getting out of control. Usually it's just pounding headaches and my stomach constricting in sparks as if it were electrocuted. But that attack just now was something else. The ringing was new. What was that again exactly?

Suddenly, I heard the door open and a familiar spiritual energy or chi entered the room. There was a sound of a squeaking chair. Sakura stood up.

"Sasuke-kun!"

"What happened?"

"He…passed out."

There was a brief pause.

"I see. Can you leave the two of us alone for a moment. I'm sure you have other duties to attend to."

That sounded more of a command rather than a question or a request. I heard her sigh. Sounded like disappointment.

"…Alright. Take care."

Soft footstep faded as the door opened and closed with a 'thud'. Sasuke sat in the chair that was previously sat by Sakura. I heard him sigh in annoyance. That sigh, he usually uses when I have done something stupid. I should be able to shout at him, but not in my current situation. Seriously, why can't I move!?

"You pathetic idiot. I leave you for two seconds and you get yourself in the infirmary." He muttered under his breath.

'_What!? It's not like I want to be in this situation! The least you can do is show a bit of concern, you good-for-nothing sonofabitch!!'_

I really tried to move this time. My body doesn't feel so numb anymore. Slowly, my eyes opened. The light was kind of blinding, and I saw black hair. Sasuke looked towards me. He does look _a little_ worried. His expression was anxious and expectant. I grinned a little sheepishly.

"Hey…" My voice was hoarse. Almost like a whisper.

"What happened dobe?" he asked coldly.

I glared at the nickname. I cleared my throat a bit so my voice wouldn't suck when I talk. "Sheesh. Nothing much. Just that I fainted is all" I tried sounding lighthearted but he didn't look convinced.

"It was _that _again wasn't it?"

I stared at him. "Yes it was that again."

He grunted and sank in his chair. He brushed his right hand through his onyx bangs. He always does that when he's thinking. I don't blame him for being so panicked. This has been going on for a while and we don't know why this is happening. He does not know if this affects me or him or both. I cannot tell him it is getting worse. I reached my hand slowly and put it on top of his free hand.

"It's fine. Don't worry about it. It was nothing anyway." It sounded like I was cooing him or something. Sasuke shut his eyes and squeezed my fingers.

* * *

_Meanwhile..._

Normal POV

Tsunade tapped her fingers onto her desk. Her job as 'head' of the organization has taken up a lot of her free time (her gambling, sake drinking free time). With the Akatsuki case, she has been pretty busy keeping the organization in check. The Fire country council has been worried of the civilians' safety while the Akatsuki are on the loose. Other than that, the Elders have requested for Naruto to be detained in Konoha as they made further investigations. Too dangerous, they said. Futhermore, Uchiha found out their little secret. So many problems, so little time. And she just got word from Sakura that Naruto fainted in the library and was brought to the infirmary.

"_Tsunade-sama!" Sakura burst into the room, unaware that the Konoha Elders sitting on the couch facing the desk. She swallowed hard._

"_Forgive me! I didn't mean to intrude! I have some news about the Akatsuki case." She bowed, sounding contrite. _

_The Konoha Elders consists of Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura and Danzo—who is the leader of the special faction named Root. They stared at Sakura sternly for interrupting their meeting. And frankly, they all scare the begeezers out of her. Tsunade raised her eyebrow for the perfect timing. These old geezers were about to give her a mind wracking lecture._

"_Sakura you came just in time. I'm sure you have been acquainted with the village Elders. Now once they leave, you can start giving your details." She said gesturing to the occupants when she mentioned them. There was an edge to her voice._

_Koharu (the wrinkly old hag) turned to Tsunade. "I think your new assistant needs to report to us about these matters too. After all, the well-being of this city means as much to us as it is to you." She spoke politely. Homura and Danzo nodded once to show their agreement. Tsunade resisted from punching the lights out of her._

_Sakura hesitated when everyone looked at her, expecting her report. She took a deep breath._

"_I think I may know why the Akatsuki are after the Jinchuuriki in the first place." She started. "On the day of the solar eclipse, the Akatsuki are going to use them as sacrifices for…something." She couldn't finish. The spell that was in the book didn't make any sense to her._

_Tsunade gazed at her intently. "Where did you get that information?" she asked._

"_From this book." Sakura handed her the book which she was holding behind her back. "It was at the secluded section in the library." She added._

_Danzo looked on impassively. "Now that we have this shred of information, my group will make sure to find the akatsuki more thoroughly."_

"_And of course, Naruto must not leave the city." Kotaru agreed._

_Sakura tried to not let the confusion show on her face. Naruto? What do they mean? "Tsunade-sama, if I may, why would we want to keep naruto here?" she asked._

_The elders looked at her—she tried not to wince—and then looked at Tsunade._

"_You don't tell your subordinates about the happenings of the village? She is not a civilian. It is essential to inform all shinobi of potential threats." Homura said, his eyes not betraying any emotion. _

_Sakura heard Tsunade grinding her teeth together._

"_Listen here, you. Naruto is not a threat to this organization or this village. Keep that in mind that I am simply following the Third's wishes to keep anything about Naruto a secret. The new recruits are too young to know." Tsunade replied with a cold voice. "Besides, you know if Naruto would never let himself be contained like some animal."_

_Danzo made a sound that sounds close to a snort. "The Third made a mistake choosing you as the head of 'SHINOBI'. Your duty is to protect this organization and this village, and you will perform that role." He exited the room without so much as a glance at the pink-haired girl who was standing there, pondering something._

_Once all of the people, except sakura have left the office, Tsunade sighed. Then her eye caught the book that Sakura gave her. The design on the cover intrigued her. It seemed familiar. The symbol showed a cross with an 'S' entangled on it. Surrounding it were characters of Kanji which read 'Demon'. She stowed the book in her drawer and locked it._

"_Sakura ask Naruto to see me in my office." She patiently looked at Sakura who looked like she was in a trance._

"_Oh, I'm sorry, Tsunade-sama but I forgot to mention that Naruto is in the infirmary right now." replied Sakura._

"_What!?" she bellowed._

"_He passed out while we were in the library. I don't know what happened really." She continued._

A loud knock snapped Tsunade out of her thoughts.

"Come in." she said briefly.

Three people came into the office the weapons on their backs secured, and their expressions as though they were expecting an attack.

"Aah. Just the people I was expecting. I presume your journey went well?" she gave the newcomers a tight smile.

* * *

A/N: I'm so sorry for the tremendous late update! Any amount of excuses is unforgivable! Please forgive me anyway. Anyway, I hope this chapter didn't suck. See if you can guess who were the people at the end.

Note: I kinda used 'village' and 'city' to describe Konoha throughout the whole fanfiction. Yeah, since it is pretty modern and there are cars, I decided to use city. But if it' s appropriate and if the old people are saying it, it would be village since the whole place is a bit traditional. The universe is pretty much like 'Naruto' only more modern and no reference to ninja.

Review please!


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